This invention relates to the field of bait boxes for fishermen and corresponding racks mountable in a boat to hold a plurality of such bait boxes in a releasably securable manner whereby the bait boxes will not become dislodged while the boat is traveling through the water but can be readily removed from the rack when the fishermen desires.
Examples of prior art devices which are in a somewhat related field include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,271,624, which shows not a rack and separate removable bait boxes but an integrally formed device having wells or cups formed integrally in the bottom of a structure which is itself mounted to the gunwale of a boat, the wells not having separate lids or covers that would make them air tight and water tight; U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,805, which shows not a rack and separate removable bait boxes but a block like structure having built-in cavities, in which two separate blocks are hinged together to open and remain open when being mounted in a boat and to close when not mounted in the boat, the mounting means being stretch cords to extend around side rails of a boat which is so equipped; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,824,733, which shows not a rack and separate removable bait boxes but an elongated storage compartment which can be secured to the side of a boat and a one-piece elongated lid to fit over the storage compartment, with spaced apart supports to hold a fish pole integrally formed on the lid and a number of also integrally formed shallow cups or compartments without lids in which various items of fishing tackle such as hooks, floats, sinkers and the like can be deposited.
Other prior art devices in another somewhat related field wherein the devices are worn by the fisherman himself include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,897,650 which shows containers for fish lures which can be hung on the fisherman's belt; U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,181 which shows another kind of belt mounted tackle carrier; U.S. Pat. No. 3,755,956 which shows another kind of device hung on the fisherman's belt for holding and dispensing live insect bait; U.S. Pat. No. 3,399,484 which shows still another kind of bait box for hanging on the fisherman's belt with integrally formed built-in compartments not separately removable.
A major problem with prior art devices is that the bait boxes are not separately removable from the rack or whatever they are mounted or formed in, so they cannot be handled separately, are not interchangeable, cannot be taken from the rack or other structure and put in the fisherman's tackle box when through fishing so the rack can be left mounted to the boat and the bait boxes taken home, and other purposes for which it is desirable to be able to readily remove bait boxes from the rack or other structure leaving the rack mounted in the boat. The present invention solves that problem.
Other prior art bait boxes are not air tight and water tight to hold such things as fish attractant chemical materials or bait saturated with such substances in such a way that the fish attractant substances do not become diluted or escape into the atmosphere, and in such a way that the air tight, water tight lids on the bait boxes can be easily removed and put back on even when the bait boxes have been snapped in place or otherwise lockingly secured in the boat mounted rack as well as when removed from the rack. The present invention as disclosed herein also solves that problem.
Other advantages and improvements of the combination bait box and rack assembly in accordance with the present invention will be apparent from the detailed description which follows and the accompanying drawings.